Over the years, many technologies have been developed to help occupants of motor vehicles communicate with one another. Simple signs and hand signals were used early on. Later, signal lights and displays were developed. An example of one such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,666 (the "'666 Patent"). The display device shown in the '666 Patent includes a lighted sign section similar to signs seen on city taxis and buses which, in general, acts like a small billboard. The device also includes a programmable electronic display that may display one of several pre-programmed messages. Although this device and ones like it are functional and relatively inexpensive, they are designed more for advertising than other types of communication. Thus, these types of devices can generally display only those messages that are fixed in hard-copy form or available in pre-programmed memory. They are not useful for situations where an individual in the vehicle must relay some non-programmed information, such as a call for help or a report on the present status of the vehicle or its occupants.
Of course, there are other technologies for accomplishing inter-vehicle communication. They include citizens band (CB) radio and mobile telephone. However, both of these technologies have limitations as well. First, they require both the sender and receiver of information to have compatible sender-receiver systems. Second, both sender and receiver must coordinate the transmission conduit of the information, through either transmission channel or phone number. Accordingly, these systems are viable only when both the sender and receiver have compatible equipment and have access to the same or a compatible communications infrastructure. Even today, many vehicles are not equipped with such devices, in part because obtaining such equipment and access can be expensive.
Thus, it would be desirable to have an inter-vehicle communication system that was relatively inexpensive, non-dependent on compatible sender-receiver systems and complex communications infrastructures, and able to communicate real-time information from the occupants in the vehicle to people outside the vehicle. It would also be beneficial if the system was designed for hands-free operation so that a driver of a motor vehicle could operate it without removing his or her hands from steering and other controls of the vehicle.